WI · ranked by public data

The 25 Clearest Lakes in Wisconsin

Water clarity here is measured, not eyeballed: each lake is ranked by its most recent Secchi disk reading from DNR and Citizen Lake Monitoring Network records — the standard measure of how many feet down you can see. Every reading is dated, and stale data is thrown out.

592 Wisconsin lakes are at least 50 acres with a current DNR water-clarity reading. Updated July 2026.

592lakes are at least 50 acres with a current DNR water-clarity reading

Pine Lake#1 at 41 ft water clarity (Jun 2026)

Vilas Countymost qualifying lakes (85)

Methodology

How we rank Wisconsin's clearest lakes

Ranked by the most recent documented Secchi disk reading (feet of visibility) from DNR/CLMN monitoring.
Readings older than 10 years are excluded — a decades-old reading no longer says anything about today's water.
Lakes under 50 acres — or without documented acreage — are excluded from rankings.
Readings deeper than the lake's own documented maximum depth are treated as source-data errors and excluded.
Clarity swings with season and weather, so the reading date is shown for every lake.
Only monitored lakes can rank. A clear lake nobody measures cannot appear here — this list rewards documentation as much as clarity.

Every number on this page comes from the same public agency records that power each lake's profile, and the list is recomputed as that data updates — it cannot silently go stale the way a hand-written top-10 does.

The ranking

Wisconsin's clearest lakes, ranked

141 ft
711 acres
Waukesha County, WI
Pine Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
43.12, -88.38711 acres | 85 ft max1 public access pointLargemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass
41 ft water clarity (Jun 2026) · 711 acres, 85 ft max depth · 1 public landing
230 ft
190 acres
Bayfield County, WI
Bony Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
46.32, -91.51190 acres | 55 ft max0 public access pointsLargemouth Bass, Northern Pike
30 ft water clarity (Sep 2025) · 190 acres, 55 ft max depth · No verified public access
329.6 ft
392 acres
Oconto County, WI
Archibald Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
45.28, -88.58392 acres | 50 ft max1 public access pointWalleye, Largemouth Bass
29.6 ft water clarity (Jun 2026) · 392 acres, 50 ft max depth · 1 public landing
429 ft
564 acres
Vilas County, WI
Black Oak Lake
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
46.16, -89.32564 acres | 85 ft max1 public access pointPanfish, Largemouth Bass
29 ft water clarity (Jun 2026) · 564 acres, 85 ft max depth · 1 public landing
527 ft
114 acres
Florence County, WI
Sea Lion Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
45.88, -88.32114 acres | 82 ft max1 public access pointPanfish, Largemouth Bass
27 ft water clarity (May 2026) · 114 acres, 82 ft max depth · 1 public landing
626.5 ft
222 acres
Burnett County, WI
Long Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
45.77, -92.36222 acres | 41 ft max2 public access pointsLargemouth Bass, Panfish
26.5 ft water clarity (Sep 2024) · 222 acres, 41 ft max depth · 2 public landings
726 ft
523 acres
Vilas County, WI
Stormy Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
46.06, -89.32523 acres | 63 ft max1 public access pointSmallmouth Bass, Trout
26 ft water clarity (Sep 2023) · 523 acres, 63 ft max depth · 1 public landing
825.6 ft
5,401 acres
Walworth County, WI
Lake Geneva
enhancedDepth mapWater data
42.57, -88.485,401 acres | 135 ft max6 public access pointsSmallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass
25.6 ft water clarity (Apr 2026) · 5,401 acres, 135 ft max depth · 6 public landings
925 ft
441 acres
Oneida County, WI
Blue Lake
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
45.84, -89.76441 acres | 49 ft max0 public access pointsPanfish, Smallmouth Bass
25 ft water clarity (Jun 2026) · 441 acres, 49 ft max depth · No verified public access
1024.6 ft
1,250 acres
Bayfield County, WI
Lake Owen
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
46.28, -91.231,250 acres | 95 ft max2 public access pointsNorthern Pike, Panfish
24.6 ft water clarity (Oct 2022) · 1,250 acres, 95 ft max depth · 2 public landings

Rank	Lake	County	Water clarity	Acres	Max depth	Public access
11	Katinka Lake	Vilas	24.4 ft	170	60 ft	—
12	Metonga Lake	Forest	24 ft	2,039	79 ft	3 landings
13	Island Lake	Bayfield	24 ft	63	51 ft	1 landing
14	Round Lake	Sawyer	23.8 ft	3,294	74 ft	3 landings
15	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	23.5 ft	848	102 ft	1 landing
16	Twin Bear Lake	Bayfield	23 ft	157	59 ft	1 landing
17	Crystal Lake	Marquette	23 ft	119	60 ft	2 landings
18	North Lake	Florence	23 ft	79	43 ft	1 landing
19	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	22 ft	1,024	92 ft	1 landing
20	Forest Lake	Vilas	22 ft	468	60 ft	1 landing
21	Paya Lake	Oconto	22 ft	105	40 ft	1 landing
22	Lake Buteau	Lincoln	21.8 ft	51	50 ft	—
23	Clearwater Lake	Oneida	21.8 ft	360	48 ft	—
24	Rose Lake	Langlade	21.6 ft	115	24 ft	1 landing
25	Big Portage Lake	Vilas	21.5 ft	586	40 ft	1 landing

By county

Clearest lakes by county

Vilas County (85)

Black Oak Lake · 29 ft

Oneida County (78)

Blue Lake · 25 ft

Burnett County (35)

Long Lake · 26.5 ft

Polk County (31)

Half Moon Lake · 17.5 ft

Barron County (27)

Lower Vermillion Lake · 13.5 ft

Bayfield County (26)

Bony Lake · 30 ft

Washburn County (22)

Middle Kimball Lake · 19.3 ft

Sawyer County (21)

Round Lake · 23.8 ft

Iron County (18)

Hewitt Lake · 16.5 ft

Oconto County (17)

Archibald Lake · 29.6 ft

Waukesha County (17)

Pine Lake · 41 ft

Forest County (14)

Metonga Lake · 24 ft

FAQ

Wisconsin lake records FAQ

What is the clearest lake in Wisconsin?

Pine Lake — By most recent Secchi reading, Pine Lake in Waukesha County is the clearest monitored lake in Wisconsin, with 41 feet of visibility.

How many Wisconsin lakes are at least 50 acres with a current DNR water-clarity reading?

592 Wisconsin lakes currently are at least 50 acres with a current DNR water-clarity readingin LakeList's aggregation of public DNR records.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is drawn from public agency data — Wisconsin DNR lake records and monitoring programs — as aggregated by LakeList. Nothing on this list is estimated or crowd-sourced, and each lake links to a full profile showing the underlying records.

Deepest lakes Biggest lakes Lakes with the most public access Best lakes by species All Wisconsin lakes

Source data: Wisconsin DNR lake and monitoring records as aggregated by LakeList. Figures reflect the most recent documented values, not new surveys, and conditions change — verify access and rules before you go. Lake outlines are shoreline shapes from LakeList and the USGS National Hydrography Dataset; they illustrate a lake's form and are not depth or navigation charts.